Train order delivery device



Pf eb.a,1944.' R H, NES 2,341,445.

- TRAIN ORDER DELIVERY DEVICE Filed Dec. 12, 1941 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 R v I H W Feb. 8; 1944.

R. H. longs TRAIN ORDER DELIVER? DEVICE Y Filed Dec. 12, 1941 l l l I I i 2 sneet s sheet 2 &

Pmh uw m Patented Feb. 8, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 2,341,445 TRAIN ORDER DELIVERY DEVICE Royal E. Jones, llayne, Ohio Armenia; Decembe 12, 4. e e? 9 2 8' Claims.

It is common and constant practice for an operator to pass train orders to a moving train and it is often necessary to rapidly pass duplicate train orders to engineers of a pair of engines when the train is being pulled by double-header engines.

Devices are now in use providing for the pas sage of a single message to an engine butthere are no devices known to me which are fully adequate to meetthe conditions existent when it is necessary to pass orders to coupled engines when a train is being pulled by two engines.

The primary object of the present invention is therefore the provision of. a train order delivery device especially and specifically designed for passing orders to the engineers of two engines on a single train.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a device of the character stated which is comparatively cheap of manufacture, simple of. operation yet highly efficient in use.

Other specific objects and novel features of the improved invention will appear from the following description when readin the light ofthe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side View of the device as it appears ready to deliver a pair of messages, the device as it appears after the first message has been delivered being illustrated in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail view of the de vice showing the opposite side to that appearing in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fig. 3 is a detail viewtaken at right angles to Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Fig. 4 is ,a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

It will be understood that at the present time when messages are tobe passed to the engineers of coupled engines the method pursued requires that the operator use two separate forks, a fork being a pair of arms fastened onto an elongated handle as will hereinafter appear, and after passing the first message the fork on the handle is removed and the second fork carrying the secand message put inplace on the end of the handle. If the train ismoving at all rapidly this requires extremely fast work as a very short time is available within which to switch the forks and this has to be accomplished under hazardous conditions for the operator when the train is moving rapidly because of thezswirling air currents caused by the train movement. Consequently there is great danger of a failure of delive of th se n m s e.

Fro h o l w n d p i n i W ll bewar apparent that the shortcomings of the method now in use is overcome and the safe delivery of the second message is assured. 3 I I Describing the device by which the foregoing is accomplished and having reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by similar reference numerals, I designates a handle of proper length to the end of which is secured a pair offorks. One of the forks A is 'unitary while the other fork is made of two pieces B and C, the portion C of which; as will hereinafter be particularly described, is made to be movable with thefork A. 4

Describing the manner of connection of these forks to the handle I which is more clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings it will be seen that a pair of brackets Z and 3 are suitably secured as at 4 to opposite sides of the handle I and that upon the bracket portions of these brackets a cross bar 5 is positioned. Upon the cross bar 6 a hub I is secured by bolts- 8 which pass through its opposite ends, which bolts 'ine cidentally also secure the crossbar 6 in position.

At one end the huh I is supported in separated relationship to the cross bar by a bolt or shim 9 while the other end ofthe hub is supported an equal distance above the cross bar by'the eye-like portion H! of the fork part B The" bolt 8 passes through the fork part eye' l0 with'the result that this fork part is held against rotation and is fixed in respect to the hub and to thehandle. I

The fork portion 13 includes a tubular socket H which frictional 1y engages and retains asti'c'k or rod 12. This socket is illustrated as beii g made of a separate piece and is bolted as atil3 to an arm M a part of whichis the aforementioned eyefl fl.

The fork A is roughly of a triangular confijg uration and atits opposite sides is provided'iyith tubular sockets I5 and .i which frictional ly re ceive and retain stick I1 and [81 The apexflfl of this triangular fork is suitably connected ,to a hub 20 which is rotatable upon the aforemen tioned-hubl.

'IEhe forkportion C is also of substantiallyitriangular shape and at one edge has a tubular socket fl; which frictionally receives and retains a stick 'I heapeii 2 3'6f' this member is'suit ably secured to the h'ub 20 and" as a consequence e brk a d ir kbn p C ar m w as a unit t e purpos'e'ofwhich' willhereiiiaft'er appear.

The outer ends of all-of the sticks L2; l1, l8

and 22 are notched. An endless string D is trained over the outer notched ends of the sticks I1 and I8 of the fork A and then brought down and frictionally secured between one face of the fork A and a spring clip 24. It is to be noted that the stick I1 is longer than the stick l8. Those familiar with this art will recognize that one of the messages to be delivered will be suitably secured to the portion 25 of the string D.

A second string E is trained over the outer notched ends of the sticks l2 and 22 and to the upper or outer portion of this string is secured the second message which is to be delivered. This string is brought down and is frictionally secured between the face of the movable fork arm C and a spring clip 21 carried thereby.

At that side of the handle 2| which in the operation of the device constitutes the lower side of the handle an outwardly or downwardly extending bracket 28 is provided on the upper face of which is carried a spring clip 29 of the proper configuration to receive and frictionally retain the stick socket portion 2| of the movable fork part C, as clearly appears in Figure 1. When the device is to be used the parts are arranged as illustrated in Fig. 1 with one of the messages attached to the string portion 25 and the other message to the string portion 26. The handle is held at or substantially at the inclination here illustrated and as a consequence the pull of gravity tends to cause the hub 20 to rotate on the hub or bearing 1. Rotation in response to gravity is prevented however by the string E which is trained over the fixed immovable fork arm B, it being understood that this particular string is also trained over the stick 22 of the movable fork arm C which fork part moves as a unit with the fork A.

When the first engineer takes the message carried by the string E the whole string is taken with the message as is well understood by those familiar with devices of the present sort. Immediately the string E is removed there is nothing to hold the fork A in its elevated position with the. consequence that the hub 20 rotates and the fork A moves into substantially the same position formerly occupied by the fork made up of the parts B and 0. As this occurs the fork portion C drops into the position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings and through its frictional engagement with the spring clip 29 the fork A is held against movement.

Each of the forks made up of a pair of sticks constitutes a message carrier. When in use the device is held as illustrated in Fig. 1 and there is an upper and a lower carrier.

The movement of the fork A, as above described is of course automatic and practically instantaneous upon the removal of the message together with the string 26 and the second message carried by the string'25 is in position to be taken by the second engineer without any movement whatsoever of the handle 2| by the operator.

Thus it will be seen a simple and efiicient device is provided for the delivery of a pair of messages to a moving train and that the possibility of failure of delivery of the second message is overcome in a simple and ingenious manner. The spring clip 29 will hold the second fork against bouncing or shaking and thus obviate any difficulty in placing the second message to be easily grasped by the engineer of the second engine.

I claim:

1. In a device for delivering train orders and messages, a handle intended to be held at an inclination to the vertical, a bearing on the end of said handle, a hub rotatable on said bearing, a lower message carrier including a stick fixed to said handle and a stick supported by said hub and movable therewith, a removable string trained over said sticks and holding said movable stick and hub against movement, a higher message carrier including a pair of sticks and a removable string trained thereover, said higher carrier being connected to and movable with said hub, and the removal of said string of said lower carrier releasing said hub and permitting its movement for the purpose described.

2. In a device for delivering train orders and messages, a handle, an upper carrier and a lower carrier mounted on said handle, said upper carrier being movable in respect to said handle, said lower carrier including a portion connected to and movable with the upper carrier, a messagebearing element mounted on each of said carriers and being freely removable therefrom, a member immovably secured to said handle, and the message-bearing element of the lower carrier being connectedto the said portion which is movable with the upper carrier and to said immovable member and serving when in place to hold the upper carrier against movement.

3. A construction such as defined in claim 2 wherein, a resilient finger is provided for each carrier, and said message-bearing elements are freely removably mounted on said carriers by engagement with their respective finger.

4. In a device for delivering train orders and messages, a handle, an upper carrier and a lower carrier mounted on said handle, said upper carrier being mounted for oscillation in respect to said handle and comprising a fitting having therein divergently extending sockets, an arm in each of said sockets, said lower carrier comprising a pair of individual fittings each of which is provided with a socket, said fittings being disposed so that the sockets thereof extend in divergent directions, an arm mounted in the socket of each of said fittings, one of said fittings being connected to and movable with said upper carrier, the other of said fittings being immovable in respect to said handle, an individual messagebearing element mounted on each of said carriers and interconnecting the arms thereof, said elements being freely removable from their carriers and arms, and the message-bearing element of the lower carrier when in place serving to hold the upper carrier against movement. 7

5. A construction as defined in claim 4 wherein, an individual spring finger is provided for each of said carriers and the message-bearing element of each carrier is held in freely removable relationship with said carrier by frictional engagement with its respective finger.

6. A construction as defined in claim 4 wherein, said handle is provided with means for resiliently engaging and frictionally holding the movable fitting of the lower carrier when the message-bearing element of the lower carrier has been removed and the upper carrier is thereby freed for oscillatory movement.

7. In a device for delivering train orders and messages, a handle having a trunnion secured thereto and extending transverse thereof, a hub free for oscillation on said trunnion, an upper message carrier secured to said hub, a lower message carrier having a portion secured to said hub and a portion secured to said handle and being immovable in respect to said hub and handlaamessage-bearing element mounted on each of said carriers and being freely removable therefrom, and the message-bearing element of the lower carrier engaging both the movable and immovable portions of said carrier and when in place acting to hold said portions against movement in respect to one another and to prevent oscillatory movement of said hub.

8. In a device for delivering train orders and messages, a handle having a trunnion arranged thereon, a hub free for oscillation on said trunnion, an upper message carrier secured to said hub and comprising a pair of arms which extend outwardly from said arm in divergent directions, a message-bearing element extending across the outer ends of said arms and being freely removable therefrom, resilient means retaining said element against accidental removal, a lower message carrier comprising a pair of arms extending divergently outwardly from said hub, one of said arms being secured to said hub but the other of said arms being immovably secured to said handle, a message-bearing element extending across the ends of the arms of said lower carrier and being freely removable therefrom, said message-bearing element being held against accidental removal from said arms by a resilient element carried by the movable arm of said lower carrier, and said message-bearing element of the lower carrier acting when in place to hold said hub against oscillation on said trunnion.

ROYAL H. JONES. 

